Signal transduction by receptors with tyrosine kinase activity

Neurotrophins regulate development, maintenance, and function of vertebrate nervous systems. Neurotrophins activate two different classes of receptors, the Trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases and p75NTR, a member of the TNF receptor superfamily. Through these, neurotrophins activate many signaling pathways, including those mediated by ras and members of the cdc-42/ras/rho G protein families, and the MAP kinase, PI-3 kinase, and Jun kinase cascades. During development, limiting amounts of neurotrophins function as survival factors to ensure a match between the number of surviving neurons and the requirement for appropriate target innervation. They also regulate cell fate decisions, axon growth, dendrite pruning, the patterning of innervation and the expression of proteins crucial for normal neuronal function, such as neurotransmitters and ion channels. These proteins also regulate many aspects of neural function. In the mature nervous system, they control synaptic function and synaptic plasticity, while continuing to modulate neuronal survival.

Neurotrophins: roles in neuronal development and function.

Hybridization has many and varied impacts on the process of speciation. Hybridization may slow or reverse differentiation by allowing gene flow and recombination. It may accelerate speciation via adaptive introgression or cause near-instantaneous speciation by allopolyploidization. It may have multiple effects at different stages and in different spatial contexts within a single speciation event. We offer a perspective on the context and evolutionary significance of hybridization during speciation, highlighting issues of current interest and debate. In secondary contact zones, it is uncertain if barriers to gene flow will be strengthened or broken down due to recombination and gene flow. Theory and empirical evidence suggest the latter is more likely, except within and around strongly selected genomic regions. Hybridization may contribute to speciation through the formation of new hybrid taxa, whereas introgression of a few loci may promote adaptive divergence and so facilitate speciation. Gene regulatory networks, epigenetic effects and the evolution of selfish genetic material in the genome suggest that the Dobzhansky-Muller model of hybrid incompatibilities requires a broader interpretation. Finally, although the incidence of reinforcement remains uncertain, this and other interactions in areas of sympatry may have knock-on effects on speciation both within and outside regions of hybridization.

/pdf/hybridization-and-speciation-5ctx8t0ugf.pdf

Hybridization and speciation

Grasping objects: the cortical mechanisms of visuomotor transformation

Nerve growth factor (NGF) was discovered 50 years ago as a molecule that promoted the survival and differentiation of sensory and sympathetic neurons. Its roles in neural development have been characterized extensively, but recent findings point to an unexpected diversity of NGF actions and indicate that developmental effects are only one aspect of the biology of NGF. This article considers expanded roles for NGF that are associated with the dynamically regulated production of NGF and its receptors that begins in development, extends throughout adult life and aging, and involves a surprising variety of neurons, glia, and nonneural cells. Particular attention is given to a growing body of evidence that suggests that among other roles, endogenous NGF signaling subserves neuroprotective and repair functions. The analysis points to many interesting unanswered questions and to the potential for continuing research on NGF to substantially enhance our understanding of the mechanisms and treatment of neurological disorders.

Nerve growth factor signaling, neuroprotection, and neural repair

During vertebrate development, many neurons depend for survival and differentiation on their target cells The best documented mediator of such a retrograde trophic action is the neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF) NGF and the other known members of the neurotrophin family, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and neurotrophin-4/5 (NT-4/5) are conserved as distinct genes over large evolutionary distances Here we report the cloning of neurotrophin-6 (NT-6), a new member of this family from the teleost fish Xiphophorus NT-6 distinguishes itself from the other known neurotrophins in that it is not found as a soluble protein in the medium of producing cells The addition of heparin (but not chondroitin) effects the release of NT-6 from cell surface and extracellular matrix molecules Recombinant purified NT-6 has a spectrum of actions similar to NGF on chick sympathetic and sensory neurons, albeit with a lower potency NT-6 is expressed in the embryonic valvulla cerebelli; expression persists in some adult tissues The interaction of NT-6 with heparin-binding molecules may modulate its action in the nervous system

/pdf/neurotrophin-6-is-a-new-member-of-the-nerve-growth-factor-2bm8hxcwyi.pdf

Neurotrophin-6 is a new member of the nerve growth factor family.

Malignant melanoma in Xiphophorus fish hybrids is caused by the activity of a dominant oncogene Tu. By combining genetic and molecular approaches, we have isolated the melanoma oncogene. We show that its level of expression correlates with the degree of malignancy of the tumour. The corresponding proto-oncogene is developmentally regulated. The Tu gene codes for a novel receptor tyrosine kinase which is closely related to the receptor for epidermal growth factor.

Novel putative receptor tyrosine kinase encoded by the melanoma-inducing Tu locus in Xiphophorus

Mammalian nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are members of a protein family with perfectly conserved domains arranged around the cysteine residues thought to stabilize an invariant three-dimensional scaffold in addition to distinct sequence motifs that convey different neuronal functions. To study their structural and functional conservation during evolution, we have compared NGF and BDNF from a lower vertebrate, the teleost fish Xiphophorus, with the mammalian homologues. Genomic clones encoding fish NGF and BDNF were isolated by cross-hybridization using probes from the cloned mammalian factors. Fish NGF and BDNF were expressed by means of recombinant vaccinia viruses, purified, and their neuronal survival specificities for different classes of neurons were found to mirror those of the mammalian factors. The half-maximal survival concentration for chick sensory neurons was 60 pg/ml for both fish and mammalian purified recombinant BDNF. However, the activity of recombinant fish NGF on both chick sensory and sympathetic neurons was 6 ng/ml, 75-fold lower than that of mouse NGF. The different functional conservation of NGF and BDNF is also reflected in their structures. The DNA-deduced amino acid sequences of processed mature fish NGF and BDNF showed, compared to mouse, 63% and 90% identity, respectively, indicating that NGF had reached an optimized structure later than BDNF. The retrograde extrapolation of these data indicates that NGF and BDNF evolved at strikingly different rates from a common ancestral gene about 600 million years ago. By RNA gel blot analysis NGF mRNA was detected during late embryonic development; BDNF was present in adult brain.

/pdf/brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor-is-more-highly-conserved-7ym41xpbiv.pdf

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is more highly conserved in structure and function than nerve growth factor during vertebrate evolution.

In one of the simplest metazoan organisms, the sponge Spongilla lacustris, at least four different src-related kinase genes (srk1-4) are expressed, all of which show a high degree of similarity to the c-src genes of vertebrates. Whereas srk2 and srk3 are clearly unrelated at the nucleic acid level, srk1 and srk4 share identical sequences in the 5' parts of their cDNAs. The cloning of several primer extension clones and genomic polymerase chain reaction experiments confirmed the hypothesis of an alternative splicing of tandemly arranged carboxy-terminal parts of srk1 and srk4. The genomic sequence encoding both proteins was found to be interrupted at the splice point by an intron which is located in the same position as one of the introns in the chicken src gene, which is the only gene conserved in invertebrates and vertebrates. All four srk genes are expressed in adult sponges as mRNA transcripts of about 2.2 kb. Tyrosine kinase activity of a src-related kinase could be detected in adult sponges but not in their resting form (gemmulae), and may reflect the activity of the srk protein products. Spongilla lacustris is the simplest organism from which a protein tyrosine kinase gene has been isolated. The presence of at least four such genes in the evolutionary ancient and primitive phylum Porifera suggests that tyrosine kinase genes arose concomitantly with or shortly after the appearance of multicellular organisms and that their activity may be involved in aggregation and cell-cell recognition.

Multiple src-related kinase genes, srk1-4, in the fresh water sponge Spongilla lacustris.

In Xiphophorus the causative, primary cellular oncogene for melanoma formation has been assigned by classical genetics to a sex-chromosomal locus, designated Tu. Activation of Tu was proposed to be the result of the elimination of Tu-specific regulatory genes which normally suppress the transforming function in the non-tumorous state. In order to understand the role which known proto-oncogenes might play in this process, we have analysed the expression of src, erb A, erb B, ras, abl, sis and mil related genes from Xiphophorus during embryogenesis, in non-tumorous organs and in melanoma cells. For src, ras, erb B and sis a differential expression during embryogenesis and/or in normal organs was detected, with preferential expression of src in neural tissues, a high abundance of sis transcripts in an embryonal epitheloid cell line and of erbB transcripts in the head nephros. In melanoma cells ras, src and a v-erb B related gene were found to be expressed. The src gene most likely is more involved in secondary processes during tumor progression, while the expression of the v-erb B related gene might be transformation-specific because recently such a sequence was found to map to the close vicinity of the Tu-locus.

F. Raulf

Papers

Neurotrophin-6 is a new member of the nerve growth factor family.

Novel putative receptor tyrosine kinase encoded by the melanoma-inducing Tu locus in Xiphophorus

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is more highly conserved in structure and function than nerve growth factor during vertebrate evolution.

Multiple src-related kinase genes, srk1-4, in the fresh water sponge Spongilla lacustris.

Expression of proto-oncogenes in embryonic, adult, and transformed tissue of Xiphophorus (Teleostei: Poeciliidae).